The Taraba State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Wednesday adjourned indefinitely to prepare its judgment in a petition on the April 11 poll in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the All Progressives Congress candidate in the election, Aisha Alhassan, had petitioned the tribunal challenging the declaration of the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Darius Ishaku, as winner of the poll.
The adjournment was announced by the Tribunal’s Chairman, Justice Musa Abubakar, after counsels to the petitioner and the respondents told the tribunal that they had adopted their written addresses and had closed their cases.
Abubakar said the tribunal would inform the parties in the case of the date it would deliver its judgment.
Earlier in the proceedings, Kanu Igabi (SAN), counsel to Ishaku, and Solo Akuma, counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission, had asked the tribunal to strike out the petition.
They argued that the petition was incompetent and inconsistent.
But counsel to Alhassan, Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN), argued that they had proved from the evidences presented that Ishaku was not duly elected by the majority of lawful votes cast in the election.
Owonikoko also argued that the PDP primary, which produced the respondent as governorship candidate of the party, was conducted in Abuja, contrary to the party’s constitution that stated that the primaries should be conducted at state secretariats.
Owonikoko, therefore, urged the tribunal to uphold the petition and grant his client the reliefs sought.
NAN.
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